Blogging and digital marketing work side by side. You may be familiar with the phrase "Content Is King", which is usually in reference to business blog posts. If you have an online business to run then you should know that blogging is the best source to attract clients to your website through Google and other search engines. In addition to that, if you have some ideas to share with the people around the world, blogging is usually one of the best and most universally convenient ways to do so.
The question that arises here is whether you can successfully start a blog without investing money. Investing significant money in a blog is not always possible, especially for those who only do it as a hobby and are not expecting to earn any money from their website. Even if someone is planning to use it for marketing, most are hesitant to invest serious funds into a blog. If you fit into this group of people needing a free or cheap blog, you are not alone.
To help you out, here are the top free website builders for blogging to choose from (and even more viable cost-free options at the end of the article):
1) WORDPRESS
WordPress is considered the most popular free blogging platform which is used by new bloggers as their first choice around the globe. There are two different ways you can work with WordPress: a completely free and a low-cost paid service. If you have ever used WordPress, you might have noticed that there are two different websites: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. Though both of these platforms are free, you have to purchase hosting if you want to start working at WordPress.org. If you go for WordPress.com, you can register for your account and start blogging for free.
There is a wide range of WordPress themes you can choose from to make your website just the way you like it. WordPress takes care of the upgrading, security, backups and spam filters. Just go to WordPress.com and choose a unique name for your domain. Keep one thing in your mind that choosing a domain name does not mean that you have to pick a word which is not relevant to what you are going to present. It must be relevant to your brand name and provide some SEO value to Google if possible.
Start blogging and use SEO and social media tools or plugins to drive traffic to your website. WordPress totally allows you to track your page views, visitors, ad clicks, likes and comments. Also you can see how and from where visitors are being driven to your content. Overall WordPress is definitely number 1 on the top 5 free blogging site platforms.
2) BLOGGER
The long-time free blogging platform from Google known as Blogger or Blogspot is available with compatible mobile versions and Google app integration is currently the second most popular one around the world. Though it is not as powerful as WordPress, this website's ease of use and convenience with other Google platforms attracts new bloggers towards its unique setup. Its templates are designed in a way that it works amazingly perfect for those who are reaching the blog through mobile devices. One of its best features is that it is integrated with Google apps and that makes it more convenient to be worked at from anywhere.
Even if you are not having your data with you, it picks pictures and other material from Google drive. Google drive offers you an additional 15 GB if you have setup for Blogger. It also has auto filter for spam comments so you don’t need to worry about it. People love to use Blogger for its simple user interface, flexibility, and ease to access.
While it doesn't seem as versatile and customizable as WordPress on the surface, you can customize the html and CSS to a very significant extent to create some good looking and optimized sites that nobody will ever peg as being Blogspot. They also allow for a pretty solid 1-click mobile website option that saves you a great deal of time and effort.
And recently they also transitioned all Blogspot blogs without custom domain names to a free HTTPS secure status, which is great for public image and SEO.
In terms of SEO, Blogger is a Google product. While that should have no bearing on search engine results, we all know that in the past Google has been known to give the search results edge to their own products over the competition. Either way, you know that your Blogspot blog will not be overlooked by Google's crawlers. Blogspot is an underrated and underutilized number 2 of the top 5 best free blogging website platforms.
3) WEEBLY
Weebly might actually be the most convenient free blogging platform for those who do not find themselves able to play with of all those blogging tools which other blogging platforms offer. It can be considered a very user-friendly blogging website because you can easily drag and drop from the simple menu. Just pick a template and start adding elements including pictures, video, blog posts, text, social media links, maps, diagrams, footer links, and other crucial content.
Blog posts that you want to share are also added in the same way. Just drag a text box and drop where you like. Click to edit it and put a frame, button and page breaks right away. You can also review your post by checking the ‘secret draft link’ provided. Weebly is a great CMS platform to start out with when you are completely new to blogging and just need to get things going.
4) TUMBLR
Tumblr is a top blogging site for Generation Z, Millennials, and some other niche markets. It provides another simple and mobile-friendly setup for those who want to start their blog in less than five minutes! This platform allows you to conveniently post infographics, multimedia, videos, pictures, audio files, text, and links with a short description. It has a beautiful set of themes as well so you can make your blog attractive for your visitors with just a few clicks.
There are some negative aspects of Tumblr as well. It is more of an image and video based site, so long-form content (and the SEO benefits that are associated with it) are not as easy or as well-received by the community. Secondly, it lacks anti-virus plugins and good caching so the sites can be hacked easily and also you will sometimes encounter slow loading. Tumblr is very limited but can still provide a useful option without spending much time or money.
5) WIX
You can't deny that most Wix websites are sleek and modern, so that certainly helps to give your blog a great first impression for customers and visitors. They aren't always the fastest or most SEO-friendly option, but they are simple and stunning.
Wix comes with two quick editors plus free stock photos to add to your posts. It is a general website builder which is free but with a major storage limit drawback. It allows only 500 MB of storage per month so if you want unlimited posting, you have to upgrade to a premium plan with a fee. There are two editors, one of them is Wix ADI which creates your site automatically based on the answers you give for a particular set of questions. It is a totally unique concept of creating a site and much appreciated by the users who cannot easily select things and create according to their choice, or those who want everything to be done automatically. The other Wix editor is also pretty easy to use and is actually much simpler than WordPress and Blogger.
Another plus is that Wix lets you easily choose images from alternate sources including your hard drive, free stock images from Wix, social media, and Bigstock just to name a few. That makes things convenient, but you can always visit Pixabay or Pexels for additional stock image options to help sell your product or boost your branding.
You can select any of these sites to start your blogging according to your choices and content type. Still, we need to remind you one thing again that never choose a free site if you want to use blogging to earn some money. Suppose if you want to launch your own clothing brand or star essay writing services, you will purchase a domain for that purpose and set up a blog. And most importantly, you can work on them freely.
Other Top Free Blogging Platforms
In addition to the 5 fantastic free blogging platforms mentioned above, there are plenty of other very viable options. Nowadays you could actually also make the case that Reddit, Squarespace, Quora, Medium, LinkedIn, and other platforms could be used as primary blogging pages as well. There is really no wrong choice as long as your content is high quality and you are able to share it with an interested audience.
Blog It And They Will Come
Choosing the right blogging platform for free or a low cost is crucial to building your business brand and improving your website's SEO. Content marketing is key right now so finding the best blog site is a major decision. Find the right free blog site platform for you and get writing! Happy blogging!
I hope you enjoyed this article about the top 5 best sites for free blogging, including the pros and cons of the major platforms.
Interested in more articles about boosting business blogging?
Read My Blog Posts:
- How To Organize Your Business Blog For Success
- Submit A Guest Blog Post To Bootstrap Business
More Bootstrap Business Blog Below
1) WORDPRESS
WordPress is considered the most popular free blogging platform which is used by new bloggers as their first choice around the globe. There are two different ways you can work with WordPress: a completely free and a low-cost paid service. If you have ever used WordPress, you might have noticed that there are two different websites: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. Though both of these platforms are free, you have to purchase hosting if you want to start working at WordPress.org. If you go for WordPress.com, you can register for your account and start blogging for free.
There is a wide range of WordPress themes you can choose from to make your website just the way you like it. WordPress takes care of the upgrading, security, backups and spam filters. Just go to WordPress.com and choose a unique name for your domain. Keep one thing in your mind that choosing a domain name does not mean that you have to pick a word which is not relevant to what you are going to present. It must be relevant to your brand name and provide some SEO value to Google if possible.
Start blogging and use SEO and social media tools or plugins to drive traffic to your website. WordPress totally allows you to track your page views, visitors, ad clicks, likes and comments. Also you can see how and from where visitors are being driven to your content. Overall WordPress is definitely number 1 on the top 5 free blogging site platforms.
2) BLOGGER
The long-time free blogging platform from Google known as Blogger or Blogspot is available with compatible mobile versions and Google app integration is currently the second most popular one around the world. Though it is not as powerful as WordPress, this website's ease of use and convenience with other Google platforms attracts new bloggers towards its unique setup. Its templates are designed in a way that it works amazingly perfect for those who are reaching the blog through mobile devices. One of its best features is that it is integrated with Google apps and that makes it more convenient to be worked at from anywhere.
Even if you are not having your data with you, it picks pictures and other material from Google drive. Google drive offers you an additional 15 GB if you have setup for Blogger. It also has auto filter for spam comments so you don’t need to worry about it. People love to use Blogger for its simple user interface, flexibility, and ease to access.
While it doesn't seem as versatile and customizable as WordPress on the surface, you can customize the html and CSS to a very significant extent to create some good looking and optimized sites that nobody will ever peg as being Blogspot. They also allow for a pretty solid 1-click mobile website option that saves you a great deal of time and effort.
And recently they also transitioned all Blogspot blogs without custom domain names to a free HTTPS secure status, which is great for public image and SEO.
In terms of SEO, Blogger is a Google product. While that should have no bearing on search engine results, we all know that in the past Google has been known to give the search results edge to their own products over the competition. Either way, you know that your Blogspot blog will not be overlooked by Google's crawlers. Blogspot is an underrated and underutilized number 2 of the top 5 best free blogging website platforms.
3) WEEBLY
Weebly might actually be the most convenient free blogging platform for those who do not find themselves able to play with of all those blogging tools which other blogging platforms offer. It can be considered a very user-friendly blogging website because you can easily drag and drop from the simple menu. Just pick a template and start adding elements including pictures, video, blog posts, text, social media links, maps, diagrams, footer links, and other crucial content.
Blog posts that you want to share are also added in the same way. Just drag a text box and drop where you like. Click to edit it and put a frame, button and page breaks right away. You can also review your post by checking the ‘secret draft link’ provided. Weebly is a great CMS platform to start out with when you are completely new to blogging and just need to get things going.
4) TUMBLR
Tumblr is a top blogging site for Generation Z, Millennials, and some other niche markets. It provides another simple and mobile-friendly setup for those who want to start their blog in less than five minutes! This platform allows you to conveniently post infographics, multimedia, videos, pictures, audio files, text, and links with a short description. It has a beautiful set of themes as well so you can make your blog attractive for your visitors with just a few clicks.
There are some negative aspects of Tumblr as well. It is more of an image and video based site, so long-form content (and the SEO benefits that are associated with it) are not as easy or as well-received by the community. Secondly, it lacks anti-virus plugins and good caching so the sites can be hacked easily and also you will sometimes encounter slow loading. Tumblr is very limited but can still provide a useful option without spending much time or money.
5) WIX
You can't deny that most Wix websites are sleek and modern, so that certainly helps to give your blog a great first impression for customers and visitors. They aren't always the fastest or most SEO-friendly option, but they are simple and stunning.
Wix comes with two quick editors plus free stock photos to add to your posts. It is a general website builder which is free but with a major storage limit drawback. It allows only 500 MB of storage per month so if you want unlimited posting, you have to upgrade to a premium plan with a fee. There are two editors, one of them is Wix ADI which creates your site automatically based on the answers you give for a particular set of questions. It is a totally unique concept of creating a site and much appreciated by the users who cannot easily select things and create according to their choice, or those who want everything to be done automatically. The other Wix editor is also pretty easy to use and is actually much simpler than WordPress and Blogger.
Another plus is that Wix lets you easily choose images from alternate sources including your hard drive, free stock images from Wix, social media, and Bigstock just to name a few. That makes things convenient, but you can always visit Pixabay or Pexels for additional stock image options to help sell your product or boost your branding.
You can select any of these sites to start your blogging according to your choices and content type. Still, we need to remind you one thing again that never choose a free site if you want to use blogging to earn some money. Suppose if you want to launch your own clothing brand or star essay writing services, you will purchase a domain for that purpose and set up a blog. And most importantly, you can work on them freely.
Other Top Free Blogging Platforms
In addition to the 5 fantastic free blogging platforms mentioned above, there are plenty of other very viable options. Nowadays you could actually also make the case that Reddit, Squarespace, Quora, Medium, LinkedIn, and other platforms could be used as primary blogging pages as well. There is really no wrong choice as long as your content is high quality and you are able to share it with an interested audience.
Blog It And They Will Come
Choosing the right blogging platform for free or a low cost is crucial to building your business brand and improving your website's SEO. Content marketing is key right now so finding the best blog site is a major decision. Find the right free blog site platform for you and get writing! Happy blogging!
I hope you enjoyed this article about the top 5 best sites for free blogging, including the pros and cons of the major platforms.
Interested in more articles about boosting business blogging?
Read My Blog Posts:
- How To Organize Your Business Blog For Success
- Submit A Guest Blog Post To Bootstrap Business
More Bootstrap Business Blog Below
